Valve handle



Patented Mar. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOHN fr. HUGHES, or COUNCIL BLUFrs, IOWA.

VALVE HANDLE.

Application filed May 21,

To all whom t may Coface/m Be it known that I, JOHN T. HUGHES, a citizenof the United States, residing at Council Bluffs, in the county ofPottawattamie and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Valve Handles, of which the following` is aspecification.

The present invention relates to valves, and more particularly to valvehandles.

In globe and gate valves considerable difficulty has been experienced inthe application and use of handlesv because such .handles haveheretofere been constructed of castings, which at best are rough and donot fit properly upon the valve stems, and which are costly in thecasting and subsequent finishing operations.

Among various other diiiiculties met with in the manufacture,application, and use of valve handles, has been that the handle isconnected to the valve stem at substantially a single point, so thatwhen considerable pressure is exerted upon the handle to turn thesame,the stem, being engaged at a single point, is not capable ofwithstanding the strain and is frequently sheared off or broken at thehandle.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a handle whichovercomes at least the two above pointed disadvantages, in that thehandle may be constructed of sheet metal and made in two die operations,and wherein the handle engages the stem at spaced apart points so as todistribute the pressure of the handle and prevent the shearing off orbreaking of the stem.

Another object of the invention is to provide a handle structureembodying the above characteristics and which may be of conventionalsize and form so as to be adaptable to the valve stems which are now inuse and without any alteration or addition to the same.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a sheet metalhandle adapted to engage the upper part of a valve stem, and which isequipped with a boxing or brace arranged to engage the thicker and moresubstantial portion of the stem, and be interlocked with the handle atpoints spaced from the outer extremity of thel stem, the parts beingheld in assembled relation by the usual clamping nut employed with valvehandles at present in use.

The above and various other objects and 1924. Serial No. 714,802l

advantages of this invention will be in part described in, and be inpart understood from, the following detailed description of the presentpreferred embodiment, the same being illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a `side elevation of a globe valve having the improved handleapplied thereto, the handle being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a detail top plan view of the body of the handle.

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the boxing or brace of the handle detachedtherefrom.

Fig. t is an end elevation of the brace, and

Fig. 5 is a top plan View of the same.

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates a valve body of any approvedconstruction, such as a globe or a gate valve, and which is providedwith a valve stem 11 which projects through the vtop of the casing 10and is adapted to receive a handle or other suitable device for turningthe stem and opening and closing the valve.

The improved handle comprises a sheet metal body part 12, which may bestamped y to provide a flat disc like major portion and a downwardlycurved flange 13 providing a suitable hand grip to facilitate graspingof the handle and holding it firmly when turning the same. The discportion of the handle 12 may be stamped out to provide `openings 14 toreduce the weight of the handle and also for ornamental purposes. Thecentral or intermediate portion of the handle 12 is provided with anon-circular opening 15 adapted to receive the correspondingly shapedupper end of the valve stem 11, such upper end being usually rectangularin contour `and tapering upwardly for a considerable distance to form asquare shank 16 upon which the handle is mounted. The upper end of theshank 16 is provided with a threaded extremity or stud 17 over which aclamping nut 18 is threaded for engagement lagainst a washer 19 adaptedfor direct contact with the top Vof the handle 12 to force it downwardlyupon the tapering shank 16.

The handle 12 carries at its underside a boxing or brace 20 which issubstantially U-shaped in edge elevation as shown in Fig. 3, Iand whichhas its opposite ends upturned to provide arms 21 which space theintermediate portion of the brace 2O away from the top of the handle 12,the intermediate portion of the brace 20 having a relatively at thecorners to provide tongues whichv are of less Width than the arms 2l toform shoulders 24 upon which the hand/leM l21isadapted to sea-t. Thehandle l2 is provided with elongated slots-25 aty opposite' sides of thenon-circular` opening l5.4 The slotsv 25 receive the tongues23isoas tointerlock the bracef20 with. the handle. Their thenu't 18 is turned.down` on: the stud 17` it-l binds the handle l2 against the shoulders2410i1 theabrace andnot `only interlocks ther-brace andhandle butalsofforcesthe shank 16 up into the openings -15"andf22.o;t the handleand brace. Tortionail strain on the stemll is therefore distributed overthe spaced area; of the sha-nk 16v so tlratithe pressure is' applied ata thicker. portion: of theste'm than is usual andthe upper. extremity ofthezst'em Whichis-relativelythin yis not subject to the entirepressure-.ofthe handle;

It is ofcourse understood that various changes and modications may bemade in thedetails of construction and design of the above specificallydescribed embodiment Without departing from the spirit of the invention,suclrchangesv and modifications beingn restricted only by the scope ofthe tollwing claim:

VV-h'at is claimed-is:

A valve handle comprising a sheet metal disc having an intermediatevnon-circular opening andhavingelongated-slots "at 'opposite'sides'ot theopen'ing,a U-shaped-brc'e having anon-circular' central opening and'rupturnedL ends having thereon adapted to itf in said slots of the disc,said'fbrace an'dl disc being adapted to fit in spaced relation upon thestem ofy a valve,vand means for'bindingsaid discand brace togetherI andifor binding the same upon the valve stem.l

In testimony whereof, I have' alixcdmy signatnre in presence of two-Witnesses.

JOHN T; HUGHES.

fitnesses c ANNE S. MGKAY,` RUTH C. GORDON?.

reduced? tongues

